Following particularly tough harvests, smaller spuds - and consequently, shorter fries - could be soon popping up at supermarkets not only in the UK, but across the globe. While shortages on shelves are not expected, Sky News has reported that fresh potatoes are likely to be smaller and covered in a few more blemishes than normal following record-breaking high temperatures and a scarcity of water that swept the globe last summer.
National Farmers Union's potato forum chair Tim Rooke has stated that the past few months have been "very difficult" for the potato industry. "Potato farming is not in a particularly good place at the moment," he admitted. Rooke also said customers will "have to accept that the chips that we buy may not be as long as they normally are."
The good news, however, is that we probably won't be forced to embrace shorter fries forever as newer, more resistant cultivars could mean the return of long and lengthy fries.
Source: tastingtable.com